HM Revenue and Customs recorded £1.933 billion in UK betting and gaming receipts between April and July 2026. That was £309 million, or 19%, more than during the same period a year earlier.

The provisional figures, published on September 30, show a sharp rise in gaming-related receipts after Remote Gaming Duty doubled. General Betting Duty moved in the opposite direction.

Gaming receipts rose after the tax rate increased, while receipts from general betting declined. The figures show a Treasury revenue effect, but they do not prove that customer betting activity fell by 14%.

Gaming delivered the biggest increase

Remote Gaming Duty receipts reached £376 million between April and June 2026. That was £67 million, or 22%, above the same period in the previous financial year.

HMRC said the higher receipts were expected to reflect, in part, the increase in Remote Gaming Duty from 21% to 40% from April 1, 2026. The new rate applies to profits from remote gaming with UK customers.

The duty covers online games of chance played for a prize, including casino-style gaming delivered through electronic communications. It is administered by HMRC and is separate from the Gambling Commission’s licensing and safer-gambling rules in Great Britain.

Betting receipts moved in the opposite direction

General Betting Duty receipts stood at £161 million between April and June 2026. That was £27 million, or 14%, lower than a year earlier.

The contrast is important. The overall rise in receipts does not mean every part of the regulated betting market expanded.

Gaming duty receipts increased by £67 million in the April to June comparison. General Betting Duty receipts fell by £27 million. The data therefore point to a mixed market, not a broad-based increase across all betting activity.

  • Total betting and gaming receipts, April to July 2026: £1.933 billion.
  • Year-on-year increase: £309 million, or 19%.
  • Remote Gaming Duty, April to June 2026: £376 million.
  • Remote Gaming Duty increase: £67 million, or 22%.
  • General Betting Duty, April to June 2026: £161 million.
  • General Betting Duty decrease: £27 million, or 14%.

Why the early figures need caution

The first reporting period gives operators and investors an early view of the tax change. It does not provide a full-year picture.

HMRC used different reporting windows. Total receipts cover April to July, while the detailed Remote Gaming Duty and General Betting Duty comparisons cover April to June.

Duty receipts can also reflect accounting periods and payment timing. The figures do not show how much of the higher tax bill operators absorbed, passed through in pricing or promotions, or offset through changes to products and costs.

They also do not establish why betting receipts fell. A 14% drop in tax receipts is not the same as proof that customer betting activity declined by 14%.

Another tax change is scheduled for 2027

The 40% Remote Gaming Duty rate now applies to accounting periods beginning on or after April 1, 2026. Finance Act 2026 gave the change legal effect and set out rules for accounting periods that straddle the start date.

A separate measure is scheduled for April 1, 2027. The government plans to introduce a 25% remote rate within General Betting Duty, with exceptions including remote bets on UK horse racing.

That measure is not reflected in the April to July 2026 receipts. The next full annual release will show whether the gap between gaming and betting receipts persists.

For now, the figures give the Treasury a strong early return from the higher gaming duty rate. Betting operators face a more uncertain tax outlook, with another major change already approaching.